With the first month of the year passing by – I’m ready to ramp up my good guy army to pay off this trifling debt! We’re in for some tough battles this year!

Planned Army Statistics by Year (Unchanged from July 2017):

In July 2017, I posted to officially declare war on debt. Although the battles began discreetly in January, it was time to publically announce the commitment to destroy the greedy barbarians. Before getting into updates, let me share the three-year plan to rid ourselves of these bloody fools.

3 Year Loan Pool / Investment Plan

Year

Cumulative Student Loan Pool

Cumulative Student Loan Payments

Car Loan Pool

Cumulative Car Loan Payments

Annual IRA

Annual 401(k)

2017

$7,918

$5,219

0

$1,920

$5,500

$18,000

2018

$12,538

$10,438

0

$3,840

$5,500

$18,000

2019

$17,448

$12,721

3,800

$5,760

$5,500

$18,000

I will be around 3K short at the end of 2019 for my student loan pool, meaning that in the next 3 years side hustles / arresting expenses will be required to hit the goal.

Have a suggestion? Would love to hear it in the comments!

Army Updates for June 2018

Bad Guys:

Student Loans of the East

Army Size:28.5K (was 29.3K)

Growth Rate: Avg of 5.5%

Weakness: Although large in numbers, the army lacks trained fighters. Each month they lose ~433 men

Auto Loan of the West

Army Size: 7.7K (was 8.1K)

Growth Rate: 5.5%

Weakness: Sickness infects the army to reduce its size by ~160 each month

Good Guys:

Loan Pool Savings of the North

Army Size:12.2K (was 9.9K)

Growth Rate: 1.0% (Capital One360 savings)

Weakness: Early career salary means an average of only 375 greenbacks soldiers graduate to fight each month

Lessons from April/May/June

“Like all great travelers, I have seen more than I remember, and remember more than I have seen.” – Benjamin Disraeli

Traveling to Austria & Spain

In March for my update, I gave a quick rundown on how in the world I’ve bankrolled 2-3K from credit card companies to get free flights without much effort. You can see that here: How I Travel Hacked My Way To Spain.

I apologize for the late update but personal life has been higher priority then the blog these last two months. Now that I’m back in routine, without much travel on the schedule, I proudly present to you all of the pictures from the trip in the gallery below these paragraphs!

Barcelona was absolutely beautiful, and gave me a chance to really relax on the beach, have espresso or cafe con leche from various scenic areas around the city, and enjoy the beautiful sunny mediterranean weather each day!

Madrid likewise was an adventure from seeing the main square to an archaeological museum, no complaints from me!

On the last night I was awarded with an amazing experience of having some drinks with a few natives that had never been to the United States – one in particular who held the belief that we as a country were very superficial. The conversation was really intriguing based on the perception others have of us (let’s not even get into the perception of Trump, even though Reddit allows us to see that other countries understand he doesn’t represent all of our views), plus it gave me an opportunity to show him that just like in Spain, each individual of the US has their own views on life.

Some of us have a focus on materials to show status, while others don’t, but overall we are a nation of strength, perseverance, and dreams. A nation whose people continuously push the limits of what the natural order is, innovating technology to do our bidding and helping out with many of the world’s disasters with government funds. The work of DART is only possible thanks to the hard working Americans who pay taxes each year to fund it. Let’s be honest, we aren’t perfect, but no country truly is – and it is up to us as citizens to fight for the things that are right (like keeping families together) to continue growing towards a better world.

Remember Jack’s call to stay united from last year? It remains true today. Diversifying your own perspective by gaining the knowledge of others truly solidifies just how much alike many of us truly are, even when our beliefs or upbringings, or even latitude/longitudes are many degrees apart!

Now that my inspirational cultural speech comes to an end – check out the pictures below!

Barcelona Parlimant

Some random dinner 🙂

Hotel Goodies

Austria Shnacks

Popular Park in Barcelona

spain-austria_1342

Papaya

Deliciousness in Barcelona

Spanish Breakfast in Madrid

Pasta and cake

Castle Pic 1

Castle Pic 2

Cortado

Beautiful Palace

Speciality Espresso

Oldest Rastaurante in the world

Healthy European Breakfast

Gaining Experiences Through Frugality

The last piece of my update I’d like to leave you with today is this.

Gaining new experiences through frugal means makes a huge impact on your life and on your happiness. That’s why personal finance is so damn important in our lives, it is why we started this blog and why we continue to adhere to the principles we write about in our own!

Check out those charts on the update below, you can see the long-term savings to pay off these debts has continued while the joy of traveling hasn’t disappeared. That my fellow dukes is what we call a Double Duke Whammy!

But how Sway?

Money is a tool we wield – by sharpening it through higher income / savings, you are able to more easily crack open the world’s oyster shell. The craziness of that is this: the more your mind is opened – the sharper your money tool becomes. In a global world and global economy, understanding the different cultures and mindsets of the world can influence the investments you make and field of business you decide to make a career within.

By following our roadmap and keeping your priorities aligned with your life goals, you too will be able to do what makes you happiest!

Thanks for reading and let me know if you have any questions in the comments below!

SN – I am so happy to be back – if you are at war with debt, please let us know how it is going!

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